Melbourne’s Top 10 Cafes

BEFORE Marcella Purnama left Australia for her hometown of Jakarta, the self-confessed super barista took a walk down memory lane to compile her list of the top 10 cafes in Melbourne.

Coffee. The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans. The sound of frothing milk. The beautiful latte art. Oh, I will miss Melbourne terribly.

Melbourne is to coffee like a stamp is to an envelope. Be it a latte, espresso, cappuccino, mocha or flat white. Be it poured over, filtered or siphoned. Coffee in Melbourne is the best you could ever ask for, if you know where to go.

After three years of indulging myself in this pleasantly wonderful lifestyle, visiting more than a hundred coffee shops and drinking tonnes of coffee, I can finally share this list. This has been my secret project since my first year here. I have visited all the city’s well-known cafe places and I have rated them.

And here is my definitive list of the best places to go for coffee (and food) in Melbourne:

10. Auction Rooms

Photo: avlxyz via Flickr

This used to be my favourite, but ever since they stopped serving not one, but two of my favourite dishes, I changed my loyalty. The ocean trout salad and pork belly were the best things in Melbourne. Unfortunately, they were victims of a menu refresh, and the new food, well, in my opinion, is not that good. The coffee’s great though.

That said, Auction Rooms is one of the warehouse-cafes that captures the essence of Melbourne coffee culture. The other upside is it’s spacious, and hence, there’s less waiting time!

Three Bags Full has the best big breakfast in town. But the coffee tends towards the acidic side. Another downside? The waiting time. Despite its super big space, there are always people. In fact, there are usually more people than seats. Simply put – don’t bother coming here on weekends.

Colourful saucers, knitted teapot covers and wooden tables – you can’t help but fall in love with Hardware Societe. The milk is divine (that is, if you go for a latte or its siblings) and the food is wonderful. I still believe they have the best baked eggs in all of Melbourne.

Downside? Again, the waiting time. Despite its expansion to double the original space, you can still wait from 10 minutes to two hours depending on the queue. Ugh.

What is in North Melbourne? Despite being only a 15-minute walking distance from the city, this suburb is not an international student haunt. Shame because Di Bella cafe’s ocean trout salad is top notch. Imagine fresh salad with lots of flavour and your favourite fish. Yum. Coffee bean roasting is done in the venue, producing a beantastic aroma!

Market Lane’s coffee is one of my favourites in Melbourne. So far, two shops are open – one in Victoria Market and another at Prahran Market. There’s no food, but yes, going all the way to Prahran is worth it even if it’s just for the coffee. Although I’m biased as I had my first date here with my boyfriend.

A friendly reminder: if you decide to go here, make sure it’s not on a weekend. This cafe is always jam-packed. Coffee is marvelous here, but the star is the food. Their dishes are Asian-inspired and their pork belly sandwich is definitely a divine intervention.

No food here, but it’s close at hand. Sensory Lab is located inside David Jones and has always been my quick fix whenever I want to get a good coffee with literally no waiting time in the city. It’s open till late (a gem, really, as most good cafes close at 4pm), and the coffee has never been off in the three years I’ve been visiting.

This newly-opened cafe in South Yarra has left a deep impression on me. The beautiful interior design – a combination of warehouse and modern, with hints of Japanese/ “oriental” – influences are just gorgeous. The food, especially the pork belly buns, is another delicacy. Love. It.

Another North Melbourne cafe! This local spot has the best mushroom and bacon plate, ever. The coffee is marvelous, service is good and it’s local – meaning, you don’t have to wait too long for a table. Enough said.

This cafe requires a bit of travel (okay, more than a bit), but it’s really, really worth it. The suburb is Hawthorn and it’s a 30-minute trip from the city. The steak sanga is the best meaty dish ever – steak, bacon, beetroot relish, poached egg, and roasted tomatoes. Super. Yum.

The coffee, needless to say, is awesome. I especially love the milk. Plus, this cafe is open till dinner time on Fridays and Saturdays! Yay!

There are 25 comments

So happy to see Di Bella Roasting Warehouse getting a mention – it was my last breakfast of choice on my final morning in Melbourne. If they still do the homemade crumpets with mascarpone and honey then they are a must-try.

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All the cafes listed are average.. Shouldn’t we go by volume and sales? There are plenty of cafes in Melbourne that destroy these places. Keep in mind there are cafes worth over 2 million dollars out there (eg urban deli) and i doubt any of these crack 1.. Brother budan, as old as the cafe is doesn’t even do more than 50kg of coffee a week (6 days). I set-up a cafe nearby and consumed 70kg (5 days) and didn’t get a mention!

I agree with PETER. I do 95 kg a week in a shop that’s only 50 m2.
I don’t get a mention either. I’ll tell why peter; because we do not pay for write ups or reviews.
And sadly melbournians have become like sheep .they tend to follow what the wankerish magazines offer them.
Give them a burnt coffee that tast like crap and tell them it’s got a mention in some magazine; they’ll drink it. Guarantee. And on top they ‘ll go and give it a good rap amongst their hipster crowd.

Even people like you who think they have what makes a “good cafe” lack the trendy knowledge desired to lead one to their perceived success. Expectations in Melbourne are far left of the stylistically orientated playing field of the cafe world, cafe owners in Melbourne are stuck up and ignorant and never get what they want and only feedback from alikes.

Has anyone heard of Adore Estate Coffee from Sydney. I saw them at Fine Food Melbourne. Their coffee was awesome. Great blends and great names. Jackson and Jackson 5. Does anyone know where they serve it in Melbourne?

[…] The first thing you should do is get a coffee. Yes, a flat white and an aussie breakky with avocado spread on toast, poached eggs and mushrooms. Ooh, I miss those avocado breakfasts. A former Melbourne based barista has put together a perfect list for you coffee lovers. https://www.meldmagazine.com.au/2013/01/melbournes-top-10-cafes/ […]

[…] The first thing you should do is get a coffee. Yes, a flat white and an Aussie breakky with avocado spread on toast, poached eggs and mushrooms. Ooh, I miss those avocado breakfasts. A former Melbourne based barista has put together a perfect list for you coffee lovers. https://www.meldmagazine.com.au/2013/01/melbournes-top-10-cafes […]

[…] The first thing you should do is get a coffee. Yes, a flat white and an Aussie breakky with avocado spread on toast, poached eggs and mushrooms. Ooh, I miss those avocado breakfasts. A former Melbourne based barista has put together a perfect list for you coffee lovers. https://www.meldmagazine.com.au/2013/01/melbournes-top-10-cafes […]